JUNE 2019

As children, Evan and Hilary both knew that sharing the gospel of Jesus was worth moving from their homes in the US to very different places overseas, and all of the changes in between. They were only four and five years old then, and they didn’t know each other. Evan lived in Africa and Southeast Asia, and Hilary lived in Central and South Asia—plus a little time in Cyprus. Their lives were a big adventure, living overseas with their missionary parents.

Once, Hilary’s whole family spent the night at a local family’s house out in the village. They wanted to make friends with them and also to tell their new friends about Jesus. Spending the night in their house was a big step in building that relationship. As a TCK, Evan loved going to sports camps to tell orphan and refugee children about Jesus. Evan realized that each member of his family was called to missions—not just his parents. Before they even met, Evan and Hilary both sensed that God was

calling them to overseas missions. But first, God brought them together. They fell in love, got married, and in time, God led them to Poland.

They have been serving in Poland for two years now, with their two young children, ages one and three. As a family, they teach English in order to connect new friends to church and to Bible studies. God has used their experiences as TCKs to help them live and serve him well in another new place. Pray for Evan and Hilary to always be obedient in following God’s direction. Pray, too, that God will call other TCKs to serve him all around the world, both now and when they grow up. EVAN and HILARY, EUROPE

Childhood Adventure, Grown-Up Calling

Missionary Kids: Their World, Their Words

PRAYERPOINTS

LIFE ON THE FIELD CAN BE AN ADVENTURE FOR THIRD-CULTURE KIDS (TCKS) AS THEY LEARN NEW LANGUAGES, NEW CULTURES, AND NEW SKILLS. MOST TCKS LEARN TO FOLLOW JESUS WHILE LIVING IN THEIR NEW COUNTRY. SOMETIMES, THEY DISCOVER THAT JESUS IS CALLING THEM TO SERVE AS MISSIONARIES THEMSELVES.

A PRAYING PEOPLE IMPACTING A LOST WORLD

Evan lived in Africa and Southeast Asia as a kid.

5 SOUTH ASIA. I've lived in South Asia for five years. I like playing with

the baby cows outside on our street, and going to the pool in the HOT summers. Please pray for my eyes to heal—I wear glasses to help me see better. Please also pray for me to do well in homeschool. LILY, age 6

6 CENTRAL ASIA. When I talked with our Muslim neighbor about

religion, she said, “I’ve noticed you think differently.” People here see how we act and speak. Pray that we can be a bright light for Christ, and a strong example of what it means to follow Christ. LYDIA

7 DEAF PEOPLES. Soon I will be leaving to go back home. I will

have to say goodbye to my US family again. Saying goodbye is hard, and I will miss them. At the same time, I am excited to go home to see the people, places, and food I miss now. Please pray for the homeless. ALYSE, age 8

8 NORTHERN AFRICA AND THE MIDDLE EAST. Please pray for

trust. Here, it can be very difficult to see God at work, and sometimes doubt can be very easy. Pray that God will provide for my daily needs and that I will turn to him and trust him in every difficulty. CHRISTIAN, age 15

9 SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA. My sister and I love being outside. One day

a snake stuck his head out of the grass and I screamed. My little sister ran, and I started shaking. Thankfully, the snake went back into the grass. Pray for God to keep us safe on our adventures. JENNIFER, age 7

10 AMERICAS. Praise God that after accepting Christ as Savior, we

(Timothy and Bethany) were baptized. It took a long time before we were ready, and even more time before we had a chance to make it happen. But we wanted to be obedient. We were baptized by Dad while in the US for stateside assignment. TIMOTHY and BETHANY, age 15

11 SOUTH ASIA. My family moved to a new city last year, and I will

start at a new school this year. I’m nervous about meeting my new teacher and classmates. Most of the kids at my school are Hindu and have never heard about the good news of Jesus. NANCY, age 8

12 CENTRAL ASIA. Our family has recently moved to a new country.

Here, the meat is not handled properly, so we often get sick. Please pray that we will remain healthy, especially when we eat meat. BREE and EMMA

13 NORTHERN AFRICA AND THE MIDDLE EAST. In a small town

in the Sahara Desert, there is a homeless woman with her baby. She sits in front of McDonalds, begging for money or food. I’ve never seen anyone give her anything. I would like you to pray for the homeless people in the Sahara Desert—for God to provide what the homeless people need. NORA, age 11

14 EUROPE. I have been praying for my friends to love God for

a long time, like for days now. Pray for them to love God. AVERY, age 5

“Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand” (Is. 41:10 HCSB).

1 NORTHERN AFRICA AND THE MIDDLE EAST. In first grade, I met

a new girl at school who was crying. I helped her feel better. Later, I found out that she doesn’t believe in Jesus, so I pray for her every night. Please pray for my friend Amira* and her family that they will know Jesus. RILEY, age 10

2 EUROPE. Most of the kids at my school are not Christians. I might be

the only one. Pray that my classmates, friends, and teacher will become Christians. AIDEN, age 10

3 SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA. Playing in Niger means a lot of hours in the

sand and under the hot sun. Our yard became our town playground. As many as thirty local kids come to play. We created a pretend town and a soccer team. Pray for my friends, that they will all come to know the love of Jesus. SID, age 12

4 EAST ASIA. My prayer request is for my school: CAJ. Many people

have flu, colds, and fevers. Nearly all of the ninth grade and half of the high school are out sick. My brother is going to school while he is home alone, and I don’t want him to get sick. JOJO

"Pray for God to keep us safe on our adventures!" - Jennifer, age 7

15 SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA. We move a lot. I am thirteen and

I have lived in twenty houses, in five countries. I have gone to almost all types of schools, in two languages. Life is crazy, but I love it! As a missionary kid (MK), I am caught between many worlds. I have many people to love and miss. Pray for us MKs, that we will be resilient and lean on Jesus as our constant. KAYLA, age 13

16 EAST ASIA. Pray for my brothers to be nice to me. Please,

God, forgive me for all my sins. JEWEL

17 SOUTHEAST ASIA. A Mon-Khmer parent once jokingly

nicknamed her children’s generation “the computer generation.” Even in the most remote or rural areas, young people are exposed to the internet and smartphones. Pray for parents and church leaders to guide children and youth in a healthy use of technology.

18 AMERICAS. My mom had surgery recently. Please pray for

her to heal soon. SAMUEL, age 1

19 DEAF PEOPLES. My friend and his family recently moved back

to the US. Pray that he adjusts to the US soon, and that he will be a light in his new school. Also, pray that I can learn more sign language so that I can share the gospel with Deaf in my country. ZEKE, age 12

20 SOUTH ASIA. My main request is about a bully at my school. He

makes fun of kids and talks back to the teachers. He used to be my friend, but now I’ve changed. Anyway, I hope you can pray for him to stop saying the worst bad words I know. JACK, age 10

21 EAST ASIA. Please pray for our family to tell Japanese people

about Christ. Please pray that all of our missionary friends will stay safe in dangerous countries. Thank you. TIA

22 CENTRAL ASIA. When I moved to my new country, I thought

other team members were going to join us. However, not only has that not happened, but the few other Christian families we knew here have moved away. Please pray that God will send others, with whom we can partner. Also, I would really like a set of “adopted” grandparents to share special events and celebrations with us—like birthdays. BREE and EMMA

23 SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA. My school in Africa is like the one I

went to in America, but it is in French. In science, we are learning about Australopithecus. My teacher says that they were like monkeys and their feet were like human hands, so they could climb trees. He believes that people evolved from Australopithecus, and doesn’t believe that God created people. Please pray that he will believe in God. CALEB, age 9

24 NORTHERN AFRICA AND THE MIDDLE EAST. I ask for the kids

at school to be nicer, and for me to find more friends, who will be allowed to visit our home. MARIE, age 8

25 SOUTHEAST ASIA. Srey Roat,* a nine-year-old Mon-Khmer girl,

was very interested in learning about Jesus. Her mother found out that becoming a Christian meant forsaking

the ways of ancestral worship and Buddhist temple rituals. So she forbade her daughter to attend church. Pray for Srey and other Mon-Khmer to be freed from tradition.

26 SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA. Please pray for Mr. Bambo John to trust

in Jesus to save him. He is our gardener. I help him take care of our flowers and grass. I also taught him to play battleship, like in America. He grew up to be a Muslim. Please pray that he will believe in Jesus instead. EZEKIEL, age 5

27 DEAF PEOPLES. Help our teachers and students at school

to not get sick. STELLA, age 9

28 AMERICAS. Please pray for our family to learn Spanish quickly

and well so that we can tell people about Jesus here. JENNA, age 10

29 SOUTH ASIA. Hi, my main prayer request is that I can get

along with my friends at school, and that I will have more courage to share the gospel with them. Our country can be dangerous at times, so I pray that we all stay safe. DAVID, age 12

30 SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA. It’s really hard being so far from family

and friends. I hope things won’t be weird when we see them again. JAKE, age 13

"Please pray for Mr. Bambo John to trust in Jesus to save him." - Ezekiel, age 5

CG 58M 4/19 P7300-6

I have lived in four countries and seven cities. It isn’t easy being a kid who moves a lot, but it is really fun to get to see so many different places. Besides the places we’ve lived, I’ve gotten to visit many states in the United States, Germany, Spain, Kenya, South Africa, and lots of other places.

When we moved to Senegal, I was sort of stressed. I didn’t know if I’d get to see my dogs, the things I had in storage in Africa, or the things we left behind in the US. But the hardest part about moving is leaving all of your friends behind. Even though the memories stay with you, it gets lonely. That’s why I have so many stuffed animals; each new animal I get represents one of the friends I have had to leave behind. I have learned to pick small animals, or I have to leave them behind too.

Please pray for me at my new school, to get all of my schoolwork done, have fun, and make new friends. I also want to raise chickens and learn how to surf. MORGAN, age 11, SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA

My biggest childhood adventure was when my family moved to West Africa. I was eleven years old. My siblings and I started seventh grade in a French school without knowing any French. There were only seven Americans among five thousand Senegalese students. Amazingly, we all passed that year. I have no idea how it happened, except that it was God’s doing. Without him, I don’t believe that we would have made it through the year.

After seventh grade, we moved to another country in West Africa, and I went to a new French school. This is now my fourth year of French school. It wasn’t

until this year that I truly started to find my place in the school. It has been a good school year, and I’m really enjoying my friends and classes. There were a lot of up and downs, yet God has helped me through it all and has grown my faith too.

I am the only Christian in my grade. So will you pray that I will stand firm in Christ, express his love to others, and have the right words when sharing the gospel? ANNMARIE, age 15, SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA

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*Names changed

It’s Fun, but Hard

French School, English Speaker

Pray that TCKs will be able to connect with their friends from other cultures.

TCK life is never boring!